This invention relates in general to the integration in a single machine of a variety of post-filming operations required to convert information on the original film footage and sound tracks into a final film product. The post-filming operations that can be performed in the single machine include resolving, film editing, sound track editing, audio dubbing, audio mixing and audio transfer.
There are a number of known devices to provide one or the other of these functions. However, the task of transforming the raw film footage and raw sound tracks to a final product in which both film and sound have been edited, embellished and made to correspond on a frame by frame basis requires a series of steps that are usually performed in different places by different individuals using a variety of disparate mechanisms.
It would greatly facilitate the creation of a final edited motion picture film if the various post-filming sound and film editing operations required to create the final product could be performed on one machine and at one place.
Accordingly, it is a major purpose of this invention to provide a single editing machine to make available all the above functions and to permit the production of a final edited sound film from the raw film and tape.
Because of the electronic audio consequences of cutting and splicing audio tracks it is a related purpose of this invention to provide a system to eliminate the necessity for the cutting and splicing of audio tapes.
Film editing functions require very accurate correspondence between the frames of film and the corresponding sound. The requirements of the equipment of that provides such correspondence militate against the quality of sound reproduction required when the resolving, mixing, dubbing and transfer of sounds are called for. By contrast, the kinds of equipment which will provide a high quality sound track during resolving, mixing and dubbing and which will also provide a high quality sound when the sound is ultimately transferred to the stripe of a film tend to militate against the type of registration and correspondence requirements required for editing.
Accordingly, it is a further major purpose of this invention to provide a mechanism that provides highly accurate tape to film registration for editing while also providing high quality sound during all audio operations.
All of the above purposes and requirements must be provided in a context that is sufficiently simple to operate as to make it feasible to resolve, edit, dub and transfer without undo distraction due to equipment complexity.
It is further important that the combined functions be performed in a device which is not only relatively simple to operate and offers the convenience of one-site preparation of the final film but which also is sufficiently inexpensive so that its use is warranted by cost considerations.